Matthew Hauser

Matthew Hauser was given the dream triathlon experience when a chance encounter with Chris McCormack helped him get a place on one of the most coveted start lines in the sport’s history. Matthew’s father had been reading Macca’s book and happened to spot him in a local cafe, and the pair got chatting. Matthew had already been making waves by collecting four OTU Oceania Junior titles in a row and shortly afterwards got an invite to participate in Super League Triathlon’s star-studded debut event on Hamilton Island.

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For a young athlete who had not broken the elite level, it was a remarkable experience to line up against the likes of Alistair Brownlee and Javier Gomez. He also roomed with veteran athlete Cameron Dye and ranked getting his advice and seeing his preparation as pivotal in his development. Matthew underlined he deserved to be at the event by achieving his aim of finishing in the top 15. He is a new breed of athletes that has been funnelled through a federation system from a young age, having been picked up and developed by Triathlon Australia.

Matthew started out running cross country and track, but his coach also worked with triathletes and suggested it was another sport he could represent his state at. It took a lot of work for him to get his all-around game up to standard, though he collected three junior titles in surf lifesaving on the way.

Matthew was part of the Australian team that took the Mixed Relay World Championship title in Hamburg and, in 2018, finished fourth at the Commonwealth Games and claimed gold in the Mixed Relay. In 2019 he picked up two World Cup golds in consecutive events.

Matthew competed in the Tokyo Olympics, finishing 24th, before grabbing a top ten berth in the Super League Triathlon 2021 Championship Series standings. His outstanding swim also saw him collect the blue jersey and a $20,000 bonus for his efforts.

He progress continued unabated into 2022 with a first WTCS podium spot in Hamburg and an individual Commonwealth Games bronze medal to add his relay gold from 2018.

Hauser enjoyed his most successful SLT season in 2022, winning 2 of the 5 events (Munich and the season Grand Finale in NEOM). However the season was not without challenges for the Australian star, who suffered a time penalty at the season opener in London, and costly crashes in Toulouse and Malibu, the latter of which saw him eliminated from the Malibu race. He fought back throughout the back end of the series, to finish in an impressive second place, behind eventual series champion, Hayden Wilde.

He lives in a shared house with friends in Mermaid Waters on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, and is living the dream with an outdoor lifestyle and a relaxed attitude with triathlon a part of his life rather than his sole focus.